Helpless
by detective-giggles
Summary: Emily's always ready to help someone in need. What happens when Emily needs help? Please R&R! FINISHED! FINALLY!
1. Chapter 1

"Hey Emily!" Matt pushed his chair away from the desk and stood up as his partner approached. Emily grinned and surprised Matt by placing a hand behind his head and pressing her lips against his.

"Emily?" Matt mumbled, torn between arousal and confusion. Rule number one prohibited them from showing affection in the office. And Emily liked rules. Matt realized why good girls had an attraction to the ever-famous 'bad boy'. There was something endearing when his princess from Princeton broke the rules.

"So… I was thinking…" Emily let her voice trail off playfully. She reached out and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, letting her fingers tickle his stomach.

"Em-" Matt smiled, abandoning confusion completely. He only wished arousal wasn't the other option. Emily laughed and leaned close enough to whisper something to him.

His eyes widened, "And what did I do to deserve these… sexual favors?" he asked.

Emily gave him a conspiratorial look, "Look, I have to meet with Cheryl before my class starts. I'll stop by later tonight?" Emily said it as a question, rather than a statement.

"Yeah, of course. About 8."

"8 it is," Emily grabbed a file from her desk and hurried to Cheryl's office.

(Later, during lunch)

"That's so sweet!" Lia exclaimed, genuinely happy for her colleague. "Did he send you roses?"

"No. Gerber Daisies," Emily sat down across from Lia and pulled an apple out of a small paper bag.

"Gerber Daisies? That's random!" Lia laughed.

"They're my favorite," Emily said, scratching at the sticker on the side of her apple.

"Those are edible, you know," Lia added, watching Emily lose the battle against the sticker.

"Gerber Daisies?" Emily asked, confused.

"No, genius. The sticker. On the apple."

"What? How do you know that?" Emily finally removed the offending sticker.

Lia shrugged, "I'm from Washington, remember? We have more apple orchards than people. And anyway, that seems like an odd thing for him to do."

"Eat stickers?"

"No! Send you flowers!" Lia screeched, frustrated.

"Well, quit switching topics!" Emily ordered.

"Look, I'm not trying to be a downer or anything. It's just-Matt doesn't strike me as the 'sending random flowers' type. He doesn't really seem like a flower kind of guy." Lia stood up and threw away the rest of her lunch, "Sorry to- I just better go."

"Okay, see you later," Emily mumbled as Lia left the break room. Emily sighed as she realized Lia was right. Matt had never mentioned flowers, neither had she. Emily had just assumed the flowers on her doorstep were from the man she was dating. She remembered his look of confusion earlier. _'And what did I do to deserve these… sexual favors?' _he had asked. A cold feeling swept over her, giving her goose bumps. She threw her lunch away and hurried off to find Matt, hoping he had an answer.

(TBC)

A/N: Please R&R! This is all I have so far, I want to know that people are interested before I continue! Please don't be too harsh; this is my first Standoff fic! I tried to keep it in character as much as possible. BTW, the sticker thing… It's true :0) Thanks to Dana, my beta… You're awesome!


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Matt!" Emily walked up behind him and put her hand on his arm, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Aw, Em, can it wait? We were headed down to the Kill House," he sounded like a child, pleading with his mother for 'five more minutes' of playtime.

"No. It's important," Emily said. Duff laughed and then made a 'whipped' sound.

"Let me take care of this, and I'll meet you at your desk in ten," Matt promised.

Emily rolled her eyes, "Whatever!" she turned and stormed off. Matt watched her leave and he turned to the guys.

"I'm going to check on her," Matt said.

This time, Frank made the whipped sound, causing Duff to laugh again.

"That's getting really old," Matt informed them as he took off after Emily. He caught up with her as she was getting in the elevator. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just- did you send me flowers?"

"No," Matt said. Then he thought about it, "Was I supposed to?"

"No."

"Okay, I'm not following," he admitted finally.

"I got flowers delivered to my apartment today. At first I thought they were from you. But then I talked to Lia, and she wasn't so sure."

"I didn't send them," he said, following her to her desk. They were silent for a minute as Emily sat down, staring out the window.

Matt stood behind Emily, rubbing her back in small circles. "You don't think that this is anything too serious, do you?" Emily finally asked, tearing her gaze from the window.

"No, of course not. But I think we need to be cautious. Em, we have pissed off our share of people; there's a possibility you might have a stalker," Matt said over the ring of Emily's phone.

"Lehman," she said. She answered her phone automatically, afraid Matt was right.

"Good morning, Emily."

"Who is this?" she asked, chills crawling up her spine.

"I wanted to know if you liked the flowers," said a voice she didn't recognize.

"The flowers?" she repeated. Matt grabbed a post-it from his desk and wrote WHO? Emily shrugged.

"Yes, the flowers," the caller sounded slightly frustrated.

"Oh. They're okay, I guess," Emily grabbed the pen from Matt and started her own notes.

"But Gerber Daisies are your favorite, are they not?"

"How would you know that?" Emily asked, determined to get control of the conversation.

"I overheard a conversation you had with a colleague of yours a while back. I believe her name was Lia."

"What do you know about her?" Emily asked, scribbling on her paper.

"See, the thing about Lia is that even a little it too much. She isn't anyone special. You're more my type."

"And why is that?" Emily asked. As with everyone else she usually spoke with, she wanted him to do most of the talking.

"You're intelligent. And I like the way you always manage to see the best in people. Even when they're at their worst. You like helping people. And, of course, you're the most beautiful woman in the bureau."

"Well, you seem to know a lot about me-" he cut her off, anger in his voice.

"Manners, Emily! When some one pays you a complement, you should be grateful. Say thank you," he ordered. Emily ignored the request and continued writing, "Say it!" he said again.

"Thank you," Emily muttered finally, "You know, I really don't like talking about myself, tell me something about you."

"That really takes the fun out of things, if you know who I am. You know me. I'll tell you that much."

Emily sighed, "Yeah, um, I know a lot of people."

"I know," he let out a little laugh, "I can just see you sitting at your desk, pen in hand, trying to profile me or something." After a minute he added, "I suppose I can help you. White, educated male, Mid-30's. How am I doing so far?"

"Missed one," she said.

"Handsome and charming. There are two more."

"Egotistical. There's a third," she said, starting to get annoyed.

He laughed, "I guess that Ph. D in psychology is coming in handy. I should get going. I'll see you tonight, though," he said, before hanging up.

"Damn it! Matt…" Emily searched her call list for the number of the last received call. "The number didn't show up. I'm going to go find Lia," Emily stood up.

"No, you're going to tell Cheryl first," Matt said, "I don't like this. Maybe we can get you protective detail or something."

"No! Matt-"

"Emily, if you don't tell Cheryl, I will. You don't know anything about this guy. He could be dangerous."

"I don't think so. I mean, he sent flowers. If he was angry with me, I would have woken up with a dead rat on my door or something," Emily said, more for her benefit than Matt's.

"They only do that in movies," Matt pointed out. "Come on."

Emily sighed and followed him to Cheryl's office. Emily knocked twice, but entered without permission.

"Flannery, Lehman. What's going on?" she looked surprised and annoyed.

"Cheryl, I have a tiny problem," Emily said, standing in front of her supervisor.

Cheryl looked from Emily to Matt, who stayed in the doorway. "Son of a bitch, Matthew, I will hurt you-" she began.

"No! Cheryl. It's not that…" Emily promised. Cheryl looked suspiciously between the two.

"Then what is it?"

"Someone's stalking Emily," Matt replied.

(TBC)

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! They made me happy! Sorry this is so long, but I'm watching the game and I'm really bored, 'cause there aren't any good commercials! I hope you guys like this next part! Sorry if there are any errors, my beta isn't doing her job at the moment! Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey. You okay?" Lia asked. She walked into the classroom a few minutes early and set a Starbucks cup in front of Emily.

"Huh? Oh yeah, thanks." Emily accepted the cup gratefully.

"You look tired," Lia commented.

"Thanks," Emily muttered sarcastically, taking a sip of the coffee.

"I didn't mean it like that," Lia apologized.

"It's okay. I haven't been sleeping well," Emily flipped through her training guide to see what she needed to teach that day.

"Is everything okay?"

"Um, yeah," Emily forced a smile.

Lia's eyes widened and she leaned towards Emily, "Is there something going on between you and Matt?"

"No…"

"Oh my God, are you pregnant?"

"No!"

"Is there someone else? Does he have another woman?"

"No."

"Did you find another guy?" Lia's eyes twinkled with excitement.

"Not exactly."

"Spill!" Lia ordered.

"I didn't find anyone. He found me."

Lia looked confused, "I don't understand."

"It's okay. I'm being ambiguous," Emily stood up, realizing the rest of her students were there. "Morning guys! Today we-" she paused as she felt her cell phone vibrate against her hip. "Sorry, give me a second." She grabbed her phone and checked the caller ID. "This is Emily," she turned her back to the class and listened to the caller. After a minute she flipped the phone shut, "Sorry," she apologized again. She started her lecture, wandering between the rows as she talked. Sometime during the lecture, Matt made his way to the back row of the classroom. Emily signed as her phone went off for the seventh time since class started.

She paused briefly and Duff gave her an annoyed look, "You gonna answer that? It's distracting."

"I've noticed," Emily grabbed her phone and checked the caller ID, not surprised to see 'private call' flash across the screen.

She glanced at Matt and he took her cue. He stood and made his way to the front of the room, "As she was saying…"

"This is Emily," she said, exiting the classroom.

"Emily…"

"Stop calling me!" she hissed, pacing back and forth in front of the door.

"You look beautiful today. I thought you would want to know."

"Yeah, well I don't," Emily muttered, flipping the phone shut. She turned it off and quietly slipped back into the classroom. "Lia." She whispered.

"What?"

"I need a favor."

"What?"

"Come here," she hissed. Lia dropped her pen on the desk and followed Emily into the hall.

"What's wrong?" Lia asked once more.

Emily handed Lia her phone, "I need a trace on all incoming calls."

"Okay…" she grabbed the phone and Emily followed her down the hall, "Why?"

"I- I'm- This guy keeps calling me. He sent the flowers." Emily watched as Lia set everything up.

"Now, we wait," Lia leaned back in her chair. As if on cue, the phone rang. Emily reached for it, but Lia grabbed it first. "Hello?"

"Who is this?"

"I'm with the FBI," Lia replied slowly.

"Put Emily on the phone!"

"Nope."

Lia heard a sigh, "I'm sure she's standing right next to you, just let me talk to her."

"No."

"Why not?" he demanded.

"I'm stalling." Lia answered. Emily giggled as Lia watched the computer screen.

"I'm not that stupid!" he said, "If you're tracing the call, you won't get anywhere."

"We'll see…" Lia muttered, "Damn."

"What?" Emily asked, standing over her shoulder.

"It's a pre-paid cell," Lia half-turned in her chair, "Sorry, Emily."

"Okay, thanks," Emily grabbed her phone from Lia and turned it off.

"Where are you going?"

"To talk to Cheryl," Emily replied.

(TBC)

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I have a history of not finishing stories, but the reviews are keeping me motivated! I almost have the next chapter finished (I actually had most of it written before this one was finished)! Please keep the reviews coming! Thanks to DANA, the world's best beta!


	4. Chapter 4

Matt opened his fridge. Emily wasn't surprised to see it half-empty. "I have eggs… butter… bread…" Matt closed the fridge and opened the freezer, "I can make hamburgers."

"Sure," Emily watched as Matt pulled a package of hamburger out of the freezer. She cleared a spot on the counter next to the sink and sat down. She watched Matt as he turned the stove on and started preparing their dinner.

"Hey, Em-"

"Matt, don't… I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to think about it. I just want to keep my life as normal as possible, okay?"

"Sure," Matt continued fixing the burgers and placed them in the pan. As they started cooking, he wandered over to Emily and wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning his head against her body. He looked up innocently, "Normal enough for ya?"

Emily laughed, despite her effort not to, "Yeah. I have a psychotic stalker fixated on me, and you want to jump my bones."

"Pretty much. It's that pesky Y chromosome," Matt said with a grin, "Plus, if you're with me, I know you're safe," he buried his face in her chest once again. Emily sighed and closed her eyes for a minute.

"That's nice, Matt, you're burning…" Emily gestured to the pan.

"Huh?" Matt looked up.

"Your hamburgers… They're burning!" Matt grabbed the pan and pulled it off the stove, dropping it in the sink. Emily hopped off the counter and opened the nearest window.

"Well, there goes dinner," Matt opened the fridge again, "I can make toast."

"No, it's okay. It's late and we have work tomorrow, let's just go to bed," she suggested.

"That's okay," Matt grinned. Emily shook her head and made her way towards his bedroom. He turned off the kitchen light and followed her, his hand finding its way to her waist once again. "I'm sure I can find something else to keep myself occupied…"

"Hmm. I'll bet," Emily grinned and slid between the covers. After all, she was the one who wanted things to be as normal as possible. Matt turned off the light and followed her.

An hour later, Emily slowly slid out of bed, trying not to wake her partner. She pulled on a pair of sweatpants and the long-sleeved shirt Matt had worn to work. She inhaled deeply; the scent of his cologne still lingered in the fabric. She smiled to herself and made her way to the living room.

(Later)

Matt opened his eyes slowly and rolled over. He sat up, realizing Emily wasn't beside him. "Emily?" Matt walked into the living room and saw Emily on the floor, surrounded by his DVD collection. "What are you doing?" he asked, already noticing his apartment was cleaner than it had been in a long time.

"I couldn't sleep so I cleaned the kitchen, your bathroom and I dusted the living room. I thought I'd alphabetize these and then-"

"Come on, Emily, you need sleep."

"No, I'm fine. I'm almost done. Go on, I'll be there soon."

"I'm not leaving you… Talk to me," Matt sat on the edge of the coffee table.

"No. I'm okay."

"Emily, come on and talk to me," Matt pleaded. He moved to a corner of the couch and, after a minute, Emily joined him. He wrapped his arms around her, protectively. "Em, I know you're upset and scared but-" Emily sat up abruptly and cut him off.

"I'm not upset, Matt! I'm _pissed off_! I'm angry at _him_."

"Emily…"

"I just-I want to feel safe in my own apartment. Hell, I want to feel safe in _your_ apartment," Emily sighed and pulled her knees to her chest.

Matt paused, missing her point, "You don't feel safe here?"

"God, I was in Starbucks with half of HRT yesterday, and I didn't feel safe!" she yelled, "I hate feeling like this-like I don't have control over my life!"

"Hey, everything's going to be okay," Matt promised. He reached out and grabbed her hands tightly.

"The phone calls-they're getting worse. When Lia traced it, all she came up with is a pre-paid cell. I haven't turned my phone on in two days. When I stopped answering his calls, he started text messaging me."

"Has he started making threats?"

"No, not really. I mean, he started out telling me how much he thought about me, and how much he adored me. Then the calls started getting more…sexually oriented. That's when I shut it off."

"Okay," Matt paused briefly, trying not to let his own fear and anger show, "Look, there's nothing we can do right now. You need sleep. Maybe in the morning we can talk to Cheryl. I know you have some vacation time coming- fly home, see your parents," he suggested.

"No! I'm not going to give him that satisfaction!"

"Em, we have to do something! We still don't have a clue as to who he is!"

"I know…" Emily sighed, "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"It's okay," Matt shrugged.

"No, it's not. I'm angry at myself…and I'm taking it out on you."

"Emily, why-" Emily cut him off and stood up. She paced back and forth behind the couch. Matt turned to watch her.

"This guy is thinking about me-constantly. He is trying to get into my head. It excites him to know that I'm thinking about him as much as he is thinking about me," she explained, returning to the couch. "I can't stop thinking about him," she admitted, looking up. Her eyes glistened with tears. Tears she refused to let Matt see.

Matt wrapped his arms around her, comforting her as best as he could. He rubbed her back gently, whispering promises into her hair. Minutes later, Emily went limp in his arms, sheer exhaustion taking over. He gently picked her up and carried her to bed.

(TBC)

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! They make me happy! Dana, you're awesome… Thanks for not getting sick of me! LOL. Let me know what you think. I'm thinking I'll be able to start wrapping it up here… Two more chapters, three max! The more reviews I get, the sooner I post, hint, hint!


	5. Chapter 5

Emily looked around before shooting Matt a look. "Celeste, you have to talk to me," Emily pleaded into the microphone. Matt handed her a bottle of water, which she gratefully accepted. He slipped a navy "FBI" windbreaker over her shoulders. Ten hours ago, a mother of seven had walked into a small 'cash until payday' loan office. When they denied her, she had pulled out a gun. Emily and Matt had been there for the better part of nine hours. "Celeste, are you there?" She listened carefully and heard a small cry. "We know that you're doing this for your children, Celeste, you just want to help them. I know you feel betrayed. You're frustrated; you need help and you feel like no one is there for you. Well, I'm in your corner. I want to help you, but you're going to have to put the gun down and come out." Emily cursed softly as she heard the click of the phone.

"Emily…" Cheryl turned to the tired negotiator, "I'm sorry. But we've been here for almost ten hours! She has already come damn close to killing one of her hostages; I'm not going to take my chances." She started to turn around, "Frank!"

"Yes, ma'am," Frank said, inches behind his supervisor. Cheryl jumped and gave him a look.

"Get into position."

Frank looked from Cheryl to Emily, waiting for her protest. When it didn't come, he shot Matt a look. "Anybody? Going once…"

"Shut up, Frank!" Matt and Cheryl said simultaneously. Frank consulted with Duff before barking orders to the rest of his team.

"Emily," Matt started. She pulled off her headset and threw it down. Then she turned and walked behind a van, out of Cheryl's line of sight. Cheryl gave her former partner a look, giving him silent permission to check on his current partner. "Emily!" he called, following her.

"I'm fine!"

"Em, you did good. Better than what I could have done with her, that's for sure!" Matt said.

"Look, I'm fine. I just- I can't watch Frank send seven kids to an orphanage," she snapped.

"I know- it's okay," Matt gently kissed the top of her head. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, "Listen, we're about done here. Why don't you head over to Sloan's and get a drink. I'll meet you there in half an hour."

"No, I'm fine," Emily repeated, more for her benefit than Matt's.

"Talk to me," he pleaded.

"He's been calling again," she admitted.

"But you got a new phone number. Two days ago. How does he have it already?"

"I don't know," she muttered.

"Go on," he urged, "I'll be there soon. Okay?" Emily nodded and walked away.

(At Sloan's)

"Hey, Emily!"

"Hi Jeff," Emily sat down at the bar and sighed.

"You look like you had a rough day," the bartender leaned on the bar, across from Emily, "Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really. But thanks."

Jeff slid a shot glass in front of her, "Vodka? Rum? Tequila?"

"No, thanks."

"On the house," he offered. Emily shook her head again. "Emily, it's my job to help people forget about their bad days. You, my dear, had a bad day. We were meant for each other."

Emily laughed, "Alright. Surprise me."

Jeff smiled, "Give me a minute, I'll whip up something special," he promised.

(Matt in Cheryl's office)

"Well, can't you make her cooperate?" Matt pleaded with his supervisor.

"No one can _make_ Emily do anything," Cheryl pointed out the obvious.

"I just don't understand how he got her new number so fast!" Matt said.

Cheryl shrugged, "We got her a new phone two days ago. I gave it to her. She gave you the number, I'm sure," Matt nodded, "And I gave Lia the number after lunch that day. No one else has it yet!"

"Frank. We gave it to him yesterday while we were at Sloan's," Matt explained.

Cheryl gave him a look, "_Sloan's_?"

"Yeah," Matt recognized the look immediately, "What? Sloan's is a cop bar. You think the guy stalking Emily is a cop?"

Cheryl shook her head, "That's a long shot… Staff maybe? Where is she, anyway?"

"Damn it!" Matt yelled. He stood up and headed for the door. Cheryl stood up as well. "She's at Sloan's," he called over his shoulder as he pulled the door open.

"Don't go alone!" she yelled as he ran down the hall. Although he didn't stop, he raised a hand, indicating he heard her.

Cheryl grabbed her phone and dialed Emily's cell. After six rings she heard her negotiator's stressed request, "Leave me a message."

Sighing, Cheryl complied, "Emily… Call me."

(Same time, Emily's location)

Emily shivered, opening her eyes slowly. She looked around, tired and disoriented. After a few seconds, she realized her hands were tied above her head. Shivering again, she also realized most of her clothes were missing. "Hello, beautiful." Emily closed her eyes briefly, trying to form coherent thoughts. It was dark but she recognized the voice immediately.

"Jeff…" she realized.

He laughed, "I expected you to figure it out sooner than this," he sat on the concrete floor next to Emily and carefully brushed her hair away from her face. Emily fought the urge to pull away from him. "Then you came in alone tonight. I realized it would probably be my last chance."

"Son of a bitch!" she muttered.

"Now Emily, language like that isn't becoming of a lady," he chastised.

"Go to hell!" she snapped, struggling with the restraints.

"Good luck with those. They're tight enough, you're not going anywhere," he assured her. Delighted, he watched her struggle for a minute. Emily looked up at her captor. She stopped struggling as soon as she saw the joy on his face. "I have to get back upstairs, do you need anything first?"

"A blanket," she said finally. He nodded and disappeared around a corner. When he returned, he dropped an itchy wool blanket over her thin frame. Emily sighed, knowledge and sheer irony reminding her that her captor would want something in return. She watched him leave before struggling with her restraints once more.

(Matt and Frank at Sloan's)

"Who else would have been working last night?" Matt demanded, slamming his hands on the bar. Frank stood silently behind Matt and crossed his arms, scowling. The waiter looked back and forth between the two men.

"Just Jeff…" he murmured, looking at his watch. "Jeff should be back from his break any second."

"Thanks," Matt said, dismissing the waiter. He looked at Frank, "What do you think?" Frank shrugged in response. Matt sighed, although it felt like hours, they only had to wait a few minutes before the bartender joined them.

"Hey guys! What can I get for you today?"

"Information," Matt said. He pulled a picture of Emily out of his pocket, "Have you seen her tonight?"

"Your partner? Yeah. A couple hours ago," Jeff adverted his gaze to stare over Matt's right shoulder. He grabbed a towel and started wiping down the bar. Matt grabbed the towel and tossed it to the floor.

"Where?"

"Here. At the bar. She sat down, looking pretty depressed. I fixed her a drink."

"Did you see her leave?"

Jeff glanced to his right, "Yeah, with some guy. I don't know who it was though." After a second, he focused on Matt once again, "Why? Is she okay?"

"Yep, thanks. You sticking around tonight?"

"Until two. That's when I get off."

Matt pulled Frank aside. They watched as Jeff grabbed another towel and continued to clean. "He knows something."

"What? How do you know that?" Frank demanded.

"When people are lying, they look to their right… When they're remembering, they look to their left," Matt explained, "When he said that he saw her, he was looking left. When he said she left-"

"He looked to his right," Frank finished. "So he didn't see her leave."

"Nope. And she's not here," Matt looked around.

"What does that leave?" Frank asked.

(TBC)

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Sorry this chapter is so long! Only one more should finish this up! Sorry about the locations in parentheses. Usually I use the stars to denote a change in location, and I can't do that any more. Please review!!!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks for being patient… Here's your last chapter… I also want to thank DA, WAY back in April, she helped me out; since I'm just now getting to this, I wanted to thank her, since I used her suggestion almost word-for-word! Please, let me know what you think… Constructive criticism is okay!!!! Especially towards the end there-I really was going for the drama—was it too much?

>

"I don't know… I just- Dmn it!" Matt turned around, kicking a chair in the process. On second thought, he gave it another kick for good measure.

"Matt… Don't worry. We'll find her," Frank promised, coming up behind Matt and putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah," Matt nodded, "I just-I don't know. I feel lost, you know? I mean, if it were me, Em would know exactly what to do!"

Frank laughed, "Well then I guess it's a good thing you have me!" Frank pulled out his cell and pressed a pre-programmed button.

"She's not answering," Matt pointed out. As if Frank needed reminding; they had been continuously bombarding her phone with calls.

"Not calling her," he replied, "Yeah, Lia? It's Frank… I need you to activate the GPS on Emily's phone." Frank stepped closer to Matt and adjusted the phone so Matt could hear without having to put it on speaker.

"Why?" Matt heard Lia ask, "Is something wrong?"

"Lia, please, just do it!" Matt pleaded with the tech girl.

"I am! It'll take like, thirty seconds!" Lia promised, "What's going on? Where are you two?"

"Sloan's," Frank replied, "They claim they saw her leave."

"You don't believe them?" Lia asked.

"No. Come on, Mathers, can't that thing work any faster?"

"No," all three were silent for a moment before Lia spoke, "Okay, she's at Third and…"

"And?" Matt asked.

"She's at Sloan's," Lia said slowly, recognizing the cross streets immediately.

"No, we've just spent the past thirty minutes nosing around… _She's not here_!" Matt yelled, frustrated, "Sorry, Lia."

"The GPS does not lie," Lia said, "Maybe she dropped her phone," she offered up the only alternate solution she could think of.

"I don't think so. She never leaves anything lying around," Matt said, looking around once more.

Both men heard Lia sigh, "I'm sorry, I don't know…"

"Okay, thanks. Let us know if the signal moves at all," Frank said, disconnecting the call. "Check that out," he said, pointing to the bartender. Matt watched as Jeff made his way over to the staircase leading to the bar's storage space. He stopped at the top of the stairs and looked around before starting down. Once he was almost out of sight, he stopped and looked around furtively before disappearing.

"You think…?" Frank asked.

"Possibly," Matt added.

"You don't think she's down there?" Frank wondered in disbelief. He had figured Matt would have been halfway down the stairs already.

"It's not that; I want to know _how_ he got her down there. You know Em would put up a fight," Matt pointed out, "The building is full of cops, I don't think--," Matt said, but sprinted towards the staircase anyway. Frank rolled his eyes at his colleague and followed him, grabbing his shirt.

"Hang on…" He grabbed his phone and speed-dialed Lia once more, "Get a few extra agents over here- just incase we need some back up. Thanks, Lia." To Matt, he said, "Let me get down there first," Frank said, "And be quiet about it!" Matt waited at the top of the stairs, until Frank waved him down. "This basement's bigger than it loo-" he started.

"Shh!!!" Matt listened for a minute, and then pointed, "She's over there."

Again, Frank stopped Matt, "Wait. Let's check this out first-- you don't know what he's hiding… He could have people with him-or a weapon or something."

>

Emily tugged on the ropes binding her wrists and let out a muffled yelp as her captor settled in between her legs. She moved abruptly, attempting to kick him. Jeff placed his hands on her thighs, causing Emily to attempt to pull away from his grasp. "Emily…"

Emily yelled again, a pitiful sound considering the cloth he tied over her mouth was doing its job. Jeff left one hand on her leg, rubbing it gently. Using his other hand, he first caressed her cheek before letting his hand trail down her jaw line, and over her chest and stomach. Emily squirmed again, trying unsuccessfully to elude his touch. She whimpered, her eyes pleading with him to stop.

"I've been thinking about you," Jeff murmured, "You're in the newspaper all the time. The pictures I have of you, they don't do you justice." He leaned in to kiss her cheek. As his lips made contact, she jerked away.

"Aww, come on, Em, don't be like that."

"Do you know how long I've been waiting to get my hands on you? To be able to hold you in my arms? I loved watching you sleep. You looked so peaceful, so beautiful. I just wanted to hold you," Emily's heart pounded, and she continued to fight the restraints. "Aren't you a feisty one? But then again, that's what I like about you." Hearing a noise from behind him, Jeff turned-it was too dark to see much. "Your friends?" he asked, "Coming to save the day…"

Emily attempted to yell again--anything to attract the attention of whoever was coming down the stairs. "Shut up!" he hissed, slapping Emily across the face. Emily let out one last pained whimper and went silent. Jeff reached into a back pocket and pulled out a rather large hunting knife. As the knife came into view, Emily drew in a deep, shaky breath, trying to stay calm. Jeff moved the knife in front of her; making sure she saw it.

As Jeff brought the knife to Emily's neck, she squeezed her eyes shut. He pressed down-just enough for her to feel the pressure of the blade, "You're gonna behave now, right?" he asked. Slowly, Emily opened her eyes and nodded. "Good."

"I hear you!" Jeff yelled suddenly, "You can come in… I'll even let you watch," he let out a little laugh. When no one appeared, he increased the pressure of the knife--enough to draw blood. Pained, Emily cried out again.

"Oh God-" Matt took a step forward, "Frank-he's hurting her. I'm not waiting!" Matt pulled his gun out of its holster. "FBI!" Matt yelled, "Let her go!" Matt took a few steps towards them, with Frank close behind.

Jeff laughed, "You're not going to shoot me."

"Don't be so sure," Matt said, "Let her go."

"Are you that confident in your aim?" Jeff asked, "I'd hate for you to miss…" Matt continued walking to his right. As Jeff's gaze followed the negotiator, Frank took a few steps in the opposite direction until he was out of Jeff's line of sight.

"You don't want to hurt her," Matt said, "Put the knife down, and walk away."

"I can't do that," Jeff shook his head and sat up straight, but he did pull the knife away from Emily's neck. Matt saw the relief in her eyes as Frank lunged for Jeff. As Frank tackled him, the knife flew from his hands. Matt holstered his gun and reached for Jeff-grabbing his arm and twisting it behind him.

"You okay?" Frank asked Emily softly. Emily nodded, although she wondered if it was too dark for him to see. Frank pulled off his FBI windbreaker and gently draped it over the negotiator. He reached up and pulled the cloth from her mouth. "Are you hurt?"

"N-no," Emily took a deep breath, "I- Thank you," she managed as Frank untied the knots.

Frank remained silent and then slipped an arm around Emily to help her sit up, at some point the support turned into a relieved embrace. She took a deep breath, glad that she didn't have to look at him just now. She wanted to laugh and cry and scream all at once, a confused swirl of emotions that churned in her stomach. Tears threatened to spill over, and she tried to swallow them.

"Is this part of hostage rescue procedure?" she sniffled, trying to break the seriousness of the moment.

"Not without a pay raise," he chuckled, pulling back to look at her. "You gonna be okay alone for a minute?"

Emily nodded, pulling her knees to her chest, "Yeah… I'm fine." Emily's gaze followed Frank, as he tried separating the two men. Suddenly, light flooded the room as additional agents joined them, followed by two EMT's.

The EMT's attended to Emily, blocking her view of the ensuing scene. She heard Jeff being mirandized by Cheryl and she watched them lead him up the stairs. At the top, he paused long enough to look back and Emily avoided his gaze. After another minute, Matt and Frank appeared by Emily's side, as she argued with the paramedics. "Really, I'm fine- I don't-"

"Em," Matt placed one hand on Emily back and rubbed it gently, while slipping his hand into hers, "Come on, I'll stay with you!"

"No, Matt, I don't need to go to the hospital, I'm fine!" Emily insisted, stubbornly.

"Matt!" Cheryl yelled.

"You gonna be okay for a minute?" Matt asked. Emily gave his hand a little squeeze and released it slowly.

"I'll stay with her," Frank offered. A paramedic returned with a wool blanket and Frank helped Emily wrap it around herself.

"I'm okay. I promise. Let's just go," Emily pleaded as Frank helped her up and tried to pass her over to the paramedics.

"Emily, you need to go to the hospital, just let them check you out," Frank insisted in an overprotective, big-brother voice, "I won't take no for an answer!" He crossed his arms across his chest and gave her a stern look.

Emily smiled-Frank was just like her older brother. It was nice having someone looking out for her the way he did. "Okay," she relented finally. To the paramedics she said, "Can we wait for Matt?"

"Go on upstairs," Frank told her, "I'll have him come up when they're done."

Emily nodded wordlessly and allowed the paramedics to accompany her up the stairs. Minutes later, Matt joined her in the ambulance.

"I'm sorry," Matt said finally, grabbing her hand in both of his. He rubbed small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb before bringing her hand to his lips.

"For what?"

"I just-I should have been there. If I had-this wouldn't have happened."

"Matt, it's not your fault," Emily said, "Please, don't blame yourself."

Matt nodded and ran a hand through Emily's hair before kissing the top of her head. He rested his head on her shoulder and said, "I'm never letting you out of my sight again!"

Emily grinned, "Promise?"

"I promise."


End file.
